Happy New Year!
Melbourne's New Year's Eve is always a major event comprising of free entertainments with the midnight fireworks spectacular as its finale. It can be viewed at four live sites; Treasury Gardens, Kings Domain, Flagstaff Gardens and Docklands. At each of the live sites, there will be music from local DJs, special effects and a multimedia countdown. It is an alcohol-free event and fines apply.
The major areas of the city around the Yarra and the Docklands are normally very busy. So on New Year Eve, Wednesday 31st of December 2014, we usher in the New Year with some oversea friends whose son happens to have an apartment overlooking the Flagstaff Gardens.
The apartment serves as a good meeting place for us and friends. It turns out to be a great way to see out the old year and welcome the new in style.
Being summer in Melbourne, it was a very pleasant day to be indoors or outdoors for the New Year celebrations. Hours before the start of the event at 9:00 pm, people were already gathering at the gardens. Many come in groups with picnic rugs, blankets, some with light foldable chairs to claim a piece of ground and wait for the event to start. Fortunately the day was cool.
The balcony of the apartment offers not only the view of the Flagstaff Garden but also the Dockland view, from a distance. Just at the horizon of the view, was the Bolton Bridge and the Melbourne Star a.k.a. the Melbourne Eye.
The following are some photos of the mid-night fireworks. What a show it was. It was a night to remember, made more memorable with the time spend with friends over food and drinks. We usher in the New Year with a BANG!! sort of.
